Unchecked chaos broke out in the Egyptian city of Port Said after fans rushed the soccer field following a match between two rival teams. As of writing this, Al Jazeera English is reporting that at least 70 people have died as a result of the clash.
Fans of rival clubs al-Ahly and al-Masry rushed the field after al-Masry upset their opponent in a rare win. People from around the world posted their somber reactions to the violence in Port Said on Twitter, at one point pushing the term “Port Said” up to one of the top trending topics today at around 2:40PM EST, shortly after the first reports of the violence in the Egypt town started to break around the world.
Below are two clips of the chaos that engulfed the soccer pitch. Knowing upwards of 100 people were either killed or injured in this melee, it goes without saying that while there isn’t any overt bloodshed in the footage, it’s still a disturbing scene to watch.
As mentioned, people from around the world began posting their reactions on Twitter:
@AJELive: At least 73 people killed in #Egypt football violence in Port Said http://t.co/FI5kmus3“
God be with Egypt. “@AJELive: At least 73 people killed in #Egypt football violence in Port Said http://t.co/IZschCIy
Football is just a game? No! RT@Daloosh: Why can we not have ONE just one week without horrible events? #Egypt
Really depressing! RT#Egypt‘s military rulers to terrorize & suppress civilian opposition to them. #PowertothePeople
The Port Said Massacre is the latest move by#Egypt match, they were throwing rocks & bottles, mayhem in Port Said
73 people killed and 60+ injured in violent clashes from aftermath ofI wish I could say that any causality drawn between today’s violence and the year-long political strife would be purely speculative, but at this point who knows. At any rate, it’s a terribly distressing and sad moment in a country already battered by the political struggle for independence.